3D Printing Obsolete Parts, Is Yours a Candidate?
· 2 min read
Obsolete is a specific kind of broken. The part did not just fail. The company that made it stopped making it, or stopped existing, and the machine, vehicle, or appliance it belongs to is otherwise fine. This is the exact case Vekform was built for. Here is how to tell in two minutes whether your part is a candidate.
Five questions
- Is it plastic, or could it be? We print polymers. A plastic part is an obvious candidate. A metal part that is metal only because stamping was cheap is often a candidate too.
- Is it structural or safety related? Brakes, steering, suspension, lifting, pressure, and anything in direct flame are not printing jobs. Everything else is on the table.
- Do you have the part, or most of it? A whole part, a broken one in pieces, or the matching part from the other side all work. A photo alone is a long shot.
- What does it have to survive? Heat, sun, load, flex, chemicals. Each one points to a material. None of them rules the part out on its own.
- Does anyone still sell it? If the manufacturer or a reputable aftermarket supplier stocks it, buy theirs. We exist for the parts nobody sells.
The parts that work best
Knobs, clips, brackets, housings, latches, trim, lenses, covers, guides, bushings, low speed gears, gaskets, and fixtures. In other words, the long tail of plastic parts that hold a machine together and that no one stocks ten years after it shipped. We make these for HVAC units, appliances, cars, boats, RVs, lab instruments, restaurant equipment, and industrial machines every week.
Do it before the last one breaks
The best time to scan an obsolete part is while you still have an intact one. A facilities team with twelve identical units and one spare should send us the spare now. We scan it, model it, and either print a stock of replacements or hold the file. When the next one fails, the replacement is a reorder, not a reconstruction.
What you get back
The printed part, your original, and on request the CAD file so you are never dependent on anyone again. Spares after the first part are inexpensive because the scanning and modeling is already done.